To Tackle Problem of Drunk Driving, Focus on Repeat Offenders: Report

The most effective way to tackle the problem of drunk driving is to focus on repeat offenders, according to a new report by the Governors Highway Safety Association.

The report says a number of existing programs can serve as models to reduce drunk driving. One such program, in San Joaquin County, California, requires repeat DUI offenders to take part in a monitoring program, according to The Wall Street Journal. People participating in the program had far fewer new DUI convictions and car crashes than a group of repeat DUI offenders who did not take part in the program.

According to the report, repeat offenders cause about one-third of impaired driving deaths each year. Last year, 10,511 people died in crashes involving at least one driver with a blood-alcohol level of at least .08%, the legal cutoff in every state except Utah.